Add the _kMDItemUserTags color tag xattr onto MacOS files via Python

color-tagger.py

#!/usr/bin/env python3

# Created by Jordan Lambrecht, https://github.com/jordanlambrecht, https://jordanlambrecht.com

# 1) Create an env via `python3 -m venv myenv` and `source myenv/bin/activate`
# 2) Install xattr via `pip3 install xattr`
# 3) Change the variables file_path and color as desired
# 4) Set the script to be executable via `chmod +x ./color-tagger.py`
# 5) Run the script via `python3 ./color-tagger.py`
# 6) Get a broom to push off all the ladies swarming you because of how well-organized and sexy your filesystem is

import xattr

file_path = './test2.txt'
color = 'green'

def set_color_tag(file_path, color):
     # Color mapping as per the documentation
     color_map = {
          "none": 0,
          "grey": 1,
          "green": 2,
          "purple": 3,
          "blue": 4,
          "yellow": 5,
          "red": 6,
          "orange": 7
     }

     if color not in color_map:
          print(f"Invalid color: {color}")
          return

     color_value = color_map[color]
     # tag_value = f"Purple\n{color_value}"
     tag_value = f'''
     <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
     <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
     <plist version="1.0">
          <array>
               <string>{color}
               {color_value}</string>
          </array>
     </plist>'''


     try:
          # Remove the existing attribute if it exists
          try:
               xattr.removexattr(file_path, 'com.apple.metadata:_kMDItemUserTags')
          except OSError:
               pass  # Ignore if the attribute does not exist
          # Set the extended attribute using pyxattr
          xattr.setxattr(file_path, 'com.apple.metadata:_kMDItemUserTags', tag_value.encode('utf-8'))
          print(f"Color tag set to {color} for file {file_path}")
     except OSError as e:
          print(f"Error setting color tag: {e}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
     set_color_tag(file_path, color)